Yanked™ Recipes, A sprinkling of Yankee Genealogy, History of Food and Much More Yankee.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Backyard Burger Bash

There are so
many ways of enjoying burgers grilled to perfection on your grill
that I will only give you my favorites. But I would like to give you
some ideas of meat combinations though. Certainly we all grew up
simply adoring 100% beef patties our parents prepared for us and most
of the time, I am completely satisfied with them(but ever EVER put
them onto Wonder bread again). But there are also many instances
where I am in the mood for lamb, sausage, pork, chicken and ground
turkey, or a combination of any of those. Now many chefs will tell
you to even play with different types of beef as well. Some boast
that a combination of ground sirloin mixed with flat iron is the
best, while a 50-50 ratio of tenderloin and sirloin is above all
others. Me? I say whatever works for you, but I would never combine
expensive cuts of meat that have been ground and are about to be
laden with every conceivable topping under the sun. The flavor is
lost and with the price of sirloin and tenderloin, those are best
suited for grilled 'au naturel'.

I will, however,
admit that I often combine ground beef with Italian sausage(either
sweet or hot) and topped with grilled onions and peppers. With a
thick slice of Provolone melted over the top, there are very few
burgers that can compete with the smell and taste of this.

Now these recipes aren't overly complicated....rather simple really, I just wanted to give you a tweak to get you to think of some of your own mixtures, recipes, ideas and combinations.

Here are some
simple burger ideas for you to share with family and friends this
summer.

French Tarragon
Burgers

In a small bowl,
combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons
chopped shallots, 1 teaspoon dried tarragon and 1/2 teaspoon garlic
powder. Refrigerate until ready to use. Cut two loaves French bread
into 4-inch segments then cut in half horizontally. In another bowl,
combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 pounds ground
beef and ¼ cup minced shallots. Patty up and grill to your liking.
Grill bread, cut side down and assemble burgers. Slather some of your
mayonnaise mixture on one or both sides of the bread and serve with
lettuce and tomatoes.

Guacamole
Burgers

In a large
skillet, cook 8 slices bacon until crisp. Remove, drain and set
aside. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup minced red onion and 1(4-ounce)
can green chilies; set aside. Shape 1 pound ground beef into 8 thin
patties and top 4 of them with the onion mixture. Cover with
remaining patties and firmly seal edges. Grill until done and top
each burger with bacon and a slice of Monterey Jack cheese. Serve
with the cheese melted and divide 1/2 cup guacamole to be spread on
each.

In a large bowl, combine 1 pound ground
chicken with 2 (canned) chipotle
chiles in adobo sauce that have been diced, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt
and black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon dried basil. Shape into 4 patties and grill until done. Top each
burger with pesto, slices of mozzarella cheese and grab it and growl.

In a large bowl,
combine 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound hot Italian sausage(casing
removed), 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, 1/2-3/4 cup minced red onion, 1/2 cup
pizza or spaghetti sauce. On a sheet of waxed paper, flatten out into
1 large patty, about 7-8-inches across. Place half purple onion, separated
into rings, 1/2 bell pepper, sliced and 1(2.5-ounce) can sliced
mushrooms and 1/4 cup sliced olives that have been drained into a large piece of foil. Crimp
well to form a pouch. Place large burger and foil packet on grill and
cook 13-15 minutes, or until burger is well done. Turn foil
packet only once while cooking. During last 2 minutes, or so, of
cooking burger, layer slices of mozzarella cheese over the top to
melt. Grill 1 large focaccia or boule that has been split. Slice assembled
burger into wedges to serve.

Wangan Burger
Packets

In a bowl,
combine 1 pound ground beef, 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, 1/4 cup
barbecue sauce and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well and shape into
4 patties. Place each patty on a large piece of tin foil and top each
with 1/4 cup canned baked beans and some raw slices of onion rings.
Crimp well and place packets on grill rack,(seam side up)and cook
20-30 minutes.

Combine 1 pound
ground chicken, 2 cup finely crushed tortilla chips or corn chips and
1/4 cup salsa. Shape into 4 patties. Grill till well done. Meanwhile,
wrap 4(10-inch)tortillas in foil with a splash or two of water.
Place on grill during the last minute of cooking to heat and soften.
To serve, place some shredded lettuce in the center of each tortilla,
top with a cooked burger, guacamole and shredded flavored
Cheddar cheese. Fold ends of tortilla toward the center and overlap sides to
cover burger. Serve with salsa.

If desired, use
ground sausage or even all burger, making a total of 1 pound of meat.
The subtle hint of apple and the salty, pungent addition of real
Vermont cheese will have you laughing the next time you see a chef on
television telling you NOT to forget the salt when seasoning burgers.
The Yankee Chef says, forget about it-not needed!

3/4 pound
hamburger

2 links sweet or
hot Italian sausage, casing removed

1 large apple,
peeled and cored

3-4 ounces
shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon
black pepper

4 hamburger
rolls

Grate the apple
into a bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the
hamburger, sausage, grated apple and black pepper. Divide the burger
mixture into 8 equal size balls. Between 2 sheets of film wrap, place
1 burger ball and lay a piece of film wrap over the top. Press down
to flatten. The patties will be thin but it will be perfectly suited
for our purpose. Put about a half ounce of cheese on top, coming to
within a 1/4-inch of the edge. Flatten another burger ball the same
way as instructed, placing on top of cheese-laden patty already
formed. Repeat until all the burger is pattied and cheese is used.
Put in refrigerator for 15 minutes while heating your gas grill to
medium.

Cook each burger
for 3-4 minutes over direct flame, or until nicely charred and flip
to cook an additional 3-4 minutes, or until well done. If your burger is heavier on fat content,
lay your burgers slightly off the direct flame. Don't forget to toast
your rolls while you're at it!